


"Stay Here Tonight"

by orphan_account



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Developing Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Prompt Response, Season/Series 04, post 4x08
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-17
Updated: 2018-06-17
Packaged: 2019-05-24 17:09:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14958654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Prompt response: Mackelena + "stay here tonight" - Two times Elena asks Mack to stay the night, set during season 4.





	"Stay Here Tonight"

**Author's Note:**

  * For [heeeymackelena](https://archiveofourown.org/users/heeeymackelena/gifts).



“Stay here tonight.”

The first time Elena says it, they’re standing opposite each other, leaning against the doorframe at the entrance to her rented apartment in Los Angeles. He and Coulson were in town, following up on a lead on Quake’s whereabouts.

Mack knows he’s frowning and that his eyebrows draw together in confusion because seconds later, Elena bursts out laughing.

“You should see your face.” She says. “I meant in the spare room, we’re not there,” she hesitated, a mischievous look flashing across her face. “ _Yet_ , Turtleman. But it’s late, you don't want to be on the road at this time of night, no?”

As sensible as she sounded, he couldn’t slip under Coulson’s radar for that long. And they’d be heading back to the Playground in a few hours as it was, something about a meeting with Director Mace.

“Yeah, I” He began, stumbling over the second word for no apparent reason. He rubbed the back of his neck to fill the moment’s silence. “I have to get back. Coulson wants to get an early start back to the Playground.”

Elena shakes her head, saying without words that she thinks he’s kind of stupid for saying it. But she doesn’t press the topic; instead she reaches for her keys and unlocks the door.

She bids him goodnight with a quick hug that he thinks he still somehow manages to make awkward and slips inside.

He doesn’t see her for six weeks after.

______________

“Stay here tonight.”

The second time Elena says it, they’ve just defeated Eli Morrow and once more they’re standing in front of a door, this time to her quarters at the Playground.

It still felt like he was flying, or maybe, falling, from the lightness in his stomach and the thrill that was still running through him. _He kissed Elena!_

Of course, he also thought he was still doing an excellent job of acting casual about it. So, at least he looked calm while the floating-falling feeling intensified at Elena's words.

Or maybe not even that, because Elena was laughing at his expression.

“I thought you said you wanted to talk.” She remarks, her voice becoming subdued at the words, or maybe at the thought of what he’d said earlier.

 _I went to a bad place, in my head, I mean, and I wanted to talk_.

Elena flashes him a reassuring smile, and he knows that his expression has fallen as well. Then, her glance shifts over his shoulder, shattering the moment and prompting him to turn around. He catches the tail end of the passerby’s, Daisy’s enthusiastic gesture to Elena that he surmised meant ‘ _get some.’_

But Daisy’s expression changes as she turns away, severe and troubled, he feels a pang of sympathy for his friend. Whatever Reyes, Ghost Rider, whoever he was, had meant to her, it must be hard to lose him, and so soon after Lincoln…

“I should—”

“No,” Elena says firmly. “I asked, she’s not ready to talk.”

“Bu—” “She needs time, and space, when she comes to talk, we’ll be here,” Elena says, her hand closing over his wrist gently. “Let’s go to bed.”

He relents, gently pulling his hand out of her grasp, wrapping the arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer, pressing a kiss to her temple.

They stumble through the door, neither of them willing to let the other go, even if the doorway is a bit too narrow to walk through comfortably. In the end, they don’t end up talking much, the exhaustion overcoming both of them the moment they sit down. Elena curls herself around him, and he’s dozing off within minutes.

 _Talking can wait_ , he thinks, _we’ll have time._

**Author's Note:**

> For fangirl_extraordinaire who inspired me to write my first ever Mackelena fic!
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> ~sinara_smith


End file.
